Hollywood Reporter: 1971 Tribeca Review

“They stayed anonymous longer than Deep Throat: eight activists who broke into a Pennsylvania FBI office in 1971 and stole records proving the government was actively targeting groups that disagreed with U.S. policies — including some, like Women’s Liberation groups, whose activities weren’t remotely threatening to break the law. Building on research in a new book by former Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger, Johanna Hamilton’s 1971 introduces five of these fugitive patriots to a generation busy debating the leaks of Edward Snowden. Exciting and enlightening, the still-timely film ranks with docs like The Weather Underground in its evocation of a more politically engaged era; it deserves big-screen exposure and should fare well in the nonfiction arena, though distributors may insist on a new title that would offer some sense of its subject matter.”